Health and Safety Executive

Heat exchangers

The failure modes associated with heat exchangers are:

The technical measures that may be appropriate for each of these failure modes are identified in each of the above links.

Corrosion measures

measures to prevent, Control or mitigate major accidents involving corrosion effects of heat exchangers are:

Prevention Control Mitigation

Coatings 

Corrosion monitoring 

Emergency response 

Selection of materials 

Inspection 

Isolation 

 

Leak detection 

Plant layout (escalation) 

   

PPE 

   

Secondary containment 

   

Spill treatment

Design fault measures

measures to prevent, Control or mitigate major accidents involving design fault effects of heat exchangers are:

Prevention Control Mitigation

Design Codes - buildings 

Inspection 

Emergency response 

Design codes - plant 

Leak detection 

Isolation 

 

Relief systems 

Plant layout (escalation) 

 

Vent systems 

PPE 

   

Secondary containment 

   

Spill treatment 

Erosion measures

measures to prevent, Control or mitigate major accidents involving erosion effects of heat exchangers are:

Prevention Control Mitigation

Design codes - plant 

Inspection

Emergency response 

 

Leak detection 

Isolation 

   

Plant layout (escalation) 

   

PPE 

   

Secondary containment 

   

Spill treatment

External event measures

measures to prevent, Control or mitigate major accidents involving external event effects of heat exchangers are:

Prevention Control Mitigation

Design Codes - buildings 

Flood protection 

Emergency response 

Design codes - plant 

Lightning protection

Isolation 

 

Relief systems 

Plant layout (escalation) 

 

Wind loading protection 

PPE 

   

Secondary containment 

   

Spill treatment

Fire/explosion measures

measures to prevent, Control or mitigate major accidents involving fire/explosion effects of heat exchangers are:

Prevention Control Mitigation

Design codes - plant 

Explosion relief 

Emergency response 

Earthing 

Leak detection 

Isolation 

Hazardous area classification 

Vent systems 

Plant layout (escalation) 

Operating Procedures 

 

PPE 

   

Secondary containment 

   

Spill treatment

Human error measures

measures to prevent, Control or mitigate major accidents involving human error effects of heat exchangers are:

Prevention Control Mitigation

Operating procedures 

Alarms 

Emergency response 

 

Control systems 

Isolation

 

Training 

Plant layout (escalation) 

   

PPE 

   

Secondary containment 

   

Spill treatment

Impact measures

measures to prevent, Control or mitigate major accidents involving impact effects of heat exchangers are:

Prevention Control Mitigation

Lifting procedures 

Leak detection 

Emergency response 

Maintenance procedures 

Training 

Isolation 

Operating procedures 

 

Plant layout (escalation) 

Permit to work 

 

PPE 

   

Secondary containment

   

Spill treatment

Maintenance faults measures

measures to prevent, Control or mitigate major accidents involving maintenance faults effects of heat exchangers are:

Prevention Control Mitigation

Maintenance procedures 

Inspection 

Emergency response 

 

Leak detection 

Isolation 

 

Permit to work 

Plant layout (escalation) 

 

Training 

PPE 

   

Secondary containment 

   

Spill treatment

Overheating measures

measures to prevent, Control or mitigate major accidents involving overheating effects of heat exchangers are:

Prevention Control Mitigation

Design codes - plant 

Alarms 

Emergency response

Maintenance procedures 

Control systems 

Isolation 

Operating procedures 

Training 

Plant layout (escalation) 

Reliability of utilities 

Trips 

PPE 

   

Secondary containment 

   

Spill treatment

Overpressurisation measures

measures to prevent, Control or mitigate major accidents involving overpressurisation effects of heat exchangers are:

Prevention Control Mitigation

Design Codes - plant

Alarms 

Emergency response 

Maintenance procedures 

Relief systems 

Isolation 

Operating procedures 

Training 

Plant layout (escalation) 

 

Trips 

PPE 

 

Vent systems 

Secondary containment

   

Spill treatment

Structural failure measures

measures to prevent, Control or mitigate major accidents involving structural failure effects of heat exchangers are:

Prevention Control Mitigation

Design Codes - buildings 

Inspection 

Emergency response 

Design codes - plant 

 

Isolation 

   

Plant layout (escalation) 

   

PPE 

   

Secondary containment 

   

Spill treatment

Vibration measures

measures to prevent, Control or mitigate major accidents involving vibration effects of Heat Exchangers are:

Prevention Control Mitigation

Design codes - plant 

Inspection 

Emergency response 

 

Leak detection 

Isolation 

 

Maintenance procedures 

Plant layout (escalation) 

 

Training 

PPE 

   

Secondary containment

   

Spill treatment

Wrong/defective equipment measures

measures to prevent, Control or mitigate major accidents involving wrong/defective equipment effects of Heat Exchangers are:

Prevention Control Mitigation

Change procedures

Alarms/Trips

Emergency response 

Design codes - plant 

Leak detection 

Isolation 

 

Relief systems 

Plant layout (escalation) 

 

Training 

PPE 

   

Secondary containment 

   

Spill treatment

05 May 2006 10:13:16 +0100

Directgov - Business Link

02.11.11